Kansas Hospital Gets Bad Grade From National Non-Profit Group
When being treated at a hospital for an injury, illness, or health condition, the last thing any patient or visitor wants to deal with is further complications. Unfortunately, it does happen, sometimes due to the poor practices of hospital staff or cleanliness of a facility. And sometimes the consequences are fatal.
These risks should not occur in hospitals, according to a USA Today article. That’s why it’s critical that honest and transparent information is available to the public. Patients and visitors should know which hospitals have poor ratings and which ones can be trusted.
Providing transparency to the public
A nonprofit organization called The Leapfrog Group offers this level of transparency to the public. Patients and visitors can review the quality of roughly 2,600 hospitals by their letter grade ratings (A-F). In addition, the group posts a list of 168 facilities with grade D or F ratings on an interactive map. One Kansas facility – Southwest Medical Center in Liberal – has a grade D rating and is the only facility in our state listed.
According to US News & World Report, Southwest Medical Center has an overall patient experience rating of three stars. The hospital never received more than three stars in any area of review and received two out of five stars in the following areas:
- Willingness of patients to recommend the facility to others
- Satisfaction with physician communication
- Satisfaction with nurse communication
- Satisfaction with advice and recovery involvement upon discharge
- The overall noise volume of the facility
The hospital received three stars in the following areas:
- Explanation of medications, how to take them, and the possible side effects
- Overall quality of discharge
- Promptness of assistance when needed or requested
- Cleanliness of hospital rooms and bathrooms
Holding negligent hospitals and staff accountable
Many of these areas can directly impact the health of patients inside and outside of the facility. Based on the ratings provided, the risks include:
- Bacterial infections due to poor cleanliness
- Medication errors or adverse side effects
- Lack of medical advice upon discharge – resulting in the potential for poor recovery
- Poor communication among nurses – resulting in surgical errors, medical mistakes, and misdiagnoses
If you or a loved one suffered any kind of injury, illness, or health condition due to the negligence of a hospital and its staff, you may be eligible for a medical malpractice lawsuit. The attorneys at Warner Law Offices are highly skilled litigators with a proven track record of representing victims of medical malpractice throughout the state of Kansas. Our case results prove it. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.